How to Add a Cleaning Fee Airbnb (Quick Guide)

In this article, we explain how to easily add a cleaning fee on Airbnb.

The interfaces for the webpage and app are a little bit different, and they can be difficult to navigate. If you’re looking for simple, step-by-step instructions, you’ve come to the right place.

We’ll show you exactly where to click, and even give you a few tips about how much you should charge.

Let’s get started.

From Your Computer: Add a Cleaning Fee on Airbnb

Important note about adding a cleaning fee: These menus only appear after you make your listing go live. So, if you’re having trouble finding them, that might be the reason why.

If you’re hung up about getting started with Airbnb because you don’t know how to add a cleaning fee, just list your apartment and then add it. You can pause the listing and still change details if needed.

• Go to Menu on the top tabs in Airbnb hosting.
• Then click Listing and choose the listing you want to add the cleaning fee to.
  

• Click Pricing and availability in the menu on the left.

• Scroll down to Additional Charges, locate Cleaning Fee and click Edit.

• Enter an amount you want to charge. Airbnb also gives you the option to choose a short-stay cleaning fee that is a different amount. If you wish to choose this, set the amount and toggle this option on.

• Click Save.

From the App: Add a Cleaning Fee on Airbnb

Adding a cleaning fee from the app is a little bit different, but the gist of it is the same.

• Go to Menu on the Airbnb app (bottom of the screen) and choose your listing.

• Click Booking Settings.

• Under “Pricing,” click Additional Charges.

• Click Edit under Cleaning Fee
• Enter an amount for “Cleaning Fee.”
• As with the desktop version, you are able to choose a short-stay cleaning fee amount and toggle the option on or off.
• Click Save

Now that you know how to add a cleaning fee, how much should you charge, exactly? And does it even matter? Do you even need a cleaning fee?

How Much Should I Charge for Cleaning my Airbnb?

Some hosts argue about whether or not you should even include a cleaning fee. Why not just build it into your nightly rate? And recently, there’s been a lot of commentary about high cleaning fees and cleaning expectations hosts place on guests during their stay and before check-out.

Airbnb wants you to explicitly state exact amounts for cleaning fees and include them in your pricing. If you don’t, and your guests leave your place a stinking mess, you might be on the hook to clean it up (and you’ll have little to no recourse in getting money from the guests).

It’s important to let guests know in your listing fees what you charge, and in your listing information what cleaning tasks are expected of them during their stay and prior to checking out. If your cleaning fee is high and your cleaning service is charged with cleaning up after guests to complete the turnover for the next stay, don’t require your guests to take on a whole house cleaning before they leave.

Simple tasks that protect your listing until it will be cleaned are in order. For instance, locking up, gathering trash (to keep rodents out), throwing towels into the tub (to keep wet ones off the floor), and washing up the dishes are all reasonable tasks to expect your guest to do before leaving. Some hosts ask that beds be stripped, but it’s actually easier to see if bedding has been stained or torn when it’s left on the bed.

Some guests make such a mess that they damage your property or smoke in your listing when you don’t allow it. Make note in your House Rules that you will seek resolution through Airbnb to cover your costs and correct these damages. Guests will likely be charged for any additional expenses to put your place back in order for your next guest if those costs exceed your normal cleaning fee.

Cleaning services can make or break your hosting experience and the quality of your guest’s stay. Be sure to set fees according to what a quality cleaning service will charge you and hang on to a great service when you find them!

If you want to manage cleaning your own Airbnb but don’t know where to begin, Beth McGee’s simple guide Get Your House Clean Now: The Home Cleaning Method Anyone Can Master, will have you cleaning like a pro before you know it.

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So, now that we know why charging for cleaning is so important, let’s find out how much you should charge for your exact property.

What type of Airbnb are you renting out?

When you set up your Airbnb, what was your goal? What kind of clientele were you aiming to attract? Did you want your Airbnb to be the cheapest in town? Or are you appealing to a more posh and up-scale guest?

How much you’re charging for your Airbnb will give you a good starting point for how much you should charge for cleaning.

So, know your goals and know your competition. If you want to be the cheapest in town, you won’t be able to charge a whole lot extra for cleaning. Are you essentially hosting a posh, up-scale mini resort? In that case, your customers probably expect a higher cleaning fee.

What’s your time worth?

If you clean your own listing, when setting your cleaning fee, ask yourself, “How long is this taking me (on average), and how much is my time worth?”

Take into account the cost of cleaning supplies, as well. You shouldn’t spend too much time doing free work. If you find that you’re cleaning up your Airbnb for six hours per visit and you’re only charging a $50 cleaning fee, you’re probably making under minimum wage and may begin to resent it. However, if Airbnb is something you do for fun, this may be fine. If it’s something you do for a profit, consider adjusting your cleaning fees.

Conclusion

In this article, we showed you exactly how to add a cleaning fee to your Airbnb. We also discussed why you might add a cleaning fee. But it’s up to you whether or not you want to add it separately or just factor it in to the overall price.

Airbnb now provides the option for guests to see the breakdown of fees in each listing. To learn more about Total Price Display, visit Airbnb.

We also recommend creating an airbnb cleaning checklist specific to your listing needs, as it can come in handy whether you plan on cleaning yourself or hiring a cleaning service.

We hope this has been informative, and if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to leave a comment.